On the Road

Ever since I have been here, I have been talking about going "On the Road with Bob." Bob is the LEPMPL staff member who, five days a week, drives and collects the materials returned to the eight book drop locations around Eau Claire. [Update, 5/25/2014 - There are now 10 locations.] Take a look at the map, and you will soon realize what an incredible service this is to the community. Library staff empty the drops six days a week (Monday through Saturday). Monday through Friday, Bob does it. Bob is a retired library custodian who has been doing this now for about 4 and a half years. It is a great fit, he gets some part time work, and would normally be up at that hour. He is incredibly reliable, and committed to doing a great job.

I got to the Library at 5:15 or so, and went to my office. It was still quite dark out! I then headed to the office where Bob hangs out. We headed off in the van. My Flickr account shows all the photos I took, and the notes are a narrative of some of the morning.

Our first stop was at the supermarket right by my apartment. We then visited each of the book drops in a giant "anti-clockwise" circle around the City. (Look at the map, and you will see why I describe it that way.

One advantage of riding shotgun was that I was actually able to sit and look at what we were passing. It is rare that I am a passenger in the town, and when driving, I try to pay more attention to the traffic than the passing scene.

I have a few final comments on my adventure today....

I still find it incredibly wild how many book drop locations we have. People in this community do not have any idea how unique that is. Second, even though we get a good volume of returns through these book drops, people still have to come downtown to actually get their items, so it has not really affected our circulation, but I think it has helped reduce our loss rate. Third, the fit between a person and a job is critical. For this job, Bob is a great choice. He has all the right qualities and enjoys it! That is very important.

Added challenge to my non-Eau Claire readers: Is there any other public library which has as many off-site places to return library materials? Remember, the eight locations in Eau Claire are at convenience stores and grocery stores, not at branches or even other government offices. I contend that Eau Claire is unique and has more off-site places to return materials than any other public library.

Chris Brubeck

The last event in Jazz in the Valley was a concert by Chris Brubeck as the finale of the UWEC Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, I missed most of the festival which conflicted with the Public Library Association's 12th National Conference which was held in nearby Minneapolis.

Chris Brubeck is the son of jazz great Dave Brubeck and was performing with a group called "Triple Play." [Dave lives in Wilton CT, and has been a great library supporter over the years.]

I was disappointed with the size of the audience at the State Theatre (the then known as the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center). The theater is an art deco masterpiece which reminds me a great deal of Bridgeport's Klein Memorial Auditorium. I would have characterized the audience size as modest.

The performance was great! It included works by Chris, his dad, and many other jazz greats. They received a standing ovation at the end which resulted in an encore! It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Primary Day in Wisconsin

Today is Primary Day here. It is bright and sunny, but cold. I'm told it is finally above zero.

Eau Claire has seen a bevy of activity. Barak Obama was in town for a rally on Saturday, Mike Huckabee was here on Monday. Hillary Clinton was supposed to be here Saturday, it got pushed to Monday, and then bad weather caused the very last minute cancellation of her last minute stop (which would have been only a few blocks from where I live!).

I voted on the way to work this morning. There are 40 voting wards in the City of Eau Claire. The polling place near my home hosts two different Wards. When I went in at about 8 am, I was the 72nd person to vote in my ward. Pretty impressive for the polls only having been open one hour. It will be interesting to see what the results will be.

At this morning's City Department Directors meeting there was some interesting discussion of the Police Department's working with the Secret Service over the recent visits. The Obama campaign received high marks for its preparation. (And that is all *I* will say!)

Snow and Cold

Well, it has been winter.

Today, for about the third time in this decade, I made the decision to close the Library early. It was an interesting process, but for those not paying close attention to the weather here, the City Director of Public Works included this in his email on snow clean-up operations:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1053 AM CST TUE JAN 29 2008

IN COMBINATION WITH THE SNOW AND WINDS...BITTERLY
COLD AIR CONTINUES TO FLOOD INTO THE REGION. WIND
CHILLS OF 25 TO 40 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED THIS
AFTERNOON WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 IN MINNESOTA. THESE
WIND CHILLS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE
REGION TONIGHT AND LAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
THEREFORE A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT
AND WEDNESDAY MORNING.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND
STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS.
THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA
IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE
OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

When the Mall closed, it was easier to make the decision since that was the standard which my predecessor used.

Closing for weather is tough. Actually, any unexpected closing is always fraught with possible public relations faux pas.

I hate closing the library, but the safety of staff comes first.

An Anniversary

It has been a year (today) since I started work in Wisconsin. It has been an interesting year with challenges related to the fund raising as well as to the "new culture" of the upper Midwest.

One year ago today it was snowing in Eau Claire. It is snowing now. We had 6 inches of snow (which ended as sleet/rain) on Saturday night. The public works department has done a great job of clean-up. I'm guessing we are in for a spell of snow. One to three inches are predicted for today, and more on Saturday. One weather forecaster confidently predicted a white Christmas since he does not expect the temperatures to get above freezing this month.

I am glad I bought snow shoes, I think I see some adventures on snow in my future!

Have you ever ...

ridden "shotgun" in a police cruiser? Until tonight, I had not. Now, thanks to Leadership Eau Claire (LEC) ,I have.

Part of Leadership Eau Claire was an opportunity for a two hour "ride along" with an Eau Claire Police Officer. I got to sit in the seat at the right, for what turned out to be a three hour experience with Officer Greg Webber. Greg was a great guide, and was (I think) disappointed that there was no chase, no arrest, and no official reason to turn on the lights. [He did turn them on once, in the City Garage parking lot just so we could see what they looked like from inside the car.] Greg was candid and an excellent guide.

I got there early, and got the "shotgun" seat. Our first call was to take a complaint of harassment from what was a domestic dispute between two people who had been divorced for two years. We heard her side first, and then went back to HQ to pick up my LEC colleague. From the parking lot, Officer Webber called him for a long, rambling conversation. He followed up with a quick call back to her as we cruised.

The next call was to serve as back up for a complaint about underaged drinking. Since juveniles were involved, my colleague and I spent considerable time standing and waiting. The result of the call was for Officer Webber to write a citation (not the first for the party cited), as well as notify the City/County Health Department of possible violations over the state of the apartment.
We sat for some paperwork, and to "look for a violation." While cruising, we got a third call of a possible suicide threat. In a neighborhood not far from where I live, a man was "breaking up with his wife" who then threatened suicide. It turned out to be more of a domestic dispute than anything else, and did not take nearly as much time as first thought.

Then it was time to gas up, and return the car to HQ for the next shift.

So what did I learn? Well, first that there is a whole lot more paperwork to policing than you might think. Second that cops often have interesting backgrounds. Officer Webber has a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in chemistry (I think). He was a warden for the Department of Natural Resources and an officer in the County Jail before joining the police force. Third, that cops are often as much social worker as they are enforcement officers. It was an eye-opening experience. And I am glad I did not have to ride in the back of the car!!!

The Open Door Director

I had been very, very far behind in reading blogs....I started falling behind just before ALA Annual, and it got worse as the summer wore on. I have finally caught up.

One post caught my eye, and it is a LJ [that's Library Journal not Live Journal] column by the blogging Michaels (Casey and Stephens). It is called The Open Door Director.

It is so much the truth when they say "It's no longer enough for the library director simply to keep the place running. Today's director is politician and lobbyist, fundraiser and spokesperson, juggling all of these titles while administering a library." And that sure is true.

They cite Jackson County (Oregon) libraries which recently closed down as one example of how public libraries cannot assume that funding will continue. (The last interim director, Ted Stark arrives to start in nearby Menomonie at the beginning of next month.)

What they talk about is what I have always tried to do as a library director. Be out in the community. Make the community feel like they can have a say in the library. By making all parts of the community into "stakeholders." [Interestingly my new library has a recent tradition of doing "Stakeholder Events" to emphasize that feeling.]

I'm still working on getting all aspects of Library 2.0 into my head and heart. But it is reassuring to read that I am doing some of the right things.

A New Adventure

I'm in a new city, and there is a lot to learn. Fortunately I was accepted into the Chamber of Commerce' program Leadership Eau Claire. I expect that it is similar to the program in Bridgeport called Leadership Greater Bridgeport, and the Eau Claire experience comes with high recommendations from those who have participated in the past.

The end of this month will see the two day retreat. Then it will be once a month through the fall, winter, and spring. I expect to get a lot out of the experience, and to learn a great deal more about my new hometown.

Exercise, nature, and reflections

I have been in blogging hibernation for a bit, but that will change as my life settles down more.

Yesterday the weather was predicted to be "blah." So I planned to do paperwork. By mid-morning it became clear that it would be a gorgeous day. So, I got my bike ready, packed some water and headed across town to the Chippewa River [Bike] Trail. It was my first time riding south of I-94.

Because it follows an old railroad bed, it is fairly level (no major hills), and was easier than riding across town to get there!

I visited the several stops along the way (including getting a snack in Caryville), and rode all the way to Meridean. At mile post 19, I turned around and headed back. So, including the city streets, about a 40 mile ride in about 4 hours (including the breaks).

There are stretches of the trail which go through fields and are very Midwestern-looking. There are other stretches along the river and through wooded areas. In particular, the wooded areas could have been in any northern area (at times it almost felt like Southern Rhode Island).

On yesterday's ride I saw a box turtle crossing the path, numerous rabbits, both brown and black squirrels, and a chipmunk. I heard lots of crows (they seem to be prevalent in this area) and other birds I cannot identify by song. I did see sparrows and barn swallows. The latter had a nest under the balcony outside my apartment for a time. There are many in the area of the apartment. In previous rides around Carson Park and Half Moon Lake, I have seen what I think is either a crane or a heron (I can't tell, and was riding quickly at that point). I have noticed that the squirrels here are mostly "black" rather than grey.

If you are quiet enough, and slow enough, you get to see a lot. It has been good for me to take the time to sit and watch. While my bike ride was un-eventful weather-wise (well, except for the slight burn on my neck), later in the afternoon, the storms moved in. I sat out and watched as rain moved from south to north, with the rain (and thunderstorm) to the west of where I was sitting. But then the winds changed, and that storm started to come back from the northwest, until it stalled for a bit. It did finally rain, and Weather.com says that we got almost an inch of rain (and I believe it!).

Snow and Cold

Today it warmed up! Yes, it warmed up enough to snow (again). As I walked from my car to the Y to swim, the snow squeaked under foot. As I left, the tires also squeaked as I turned the wheel. It reminded me of the book Smilla's Sense of Snow written by Peter Hoeg. The book is set in Denmark and Greenland. In it Smilla notes that the Inuit of Greenland have something like seventeen different words for the different kinds of snow. Today I really believed it.

Famous for a Day

Saturday morning's Leader-Telegram (the Eau Claire daily paper) includes a story about me and the Library's new "Big Penny Campaign."

It is slightly scary to pick up the paper and see a color photo of yourself on the front page! On the other hand, it is good for the Library.

Cold (redux)

It is cold.....the front page of yesterday's local paper noted that several events have been cancelled because of the severe cold. The predicted high temp here today is -2! When I got up this morning it was -5, and in the past hour and a half, it has dropped 2 degrees (according to the Weather Channel) and the web version has the temp two degrees colder!

I haven't been out yet, but soon I will begin my errands. It is Saturday, and there are certain things which take time and have to be done.

Snowy Saturday

This is the view about an hour ago. It continues to snow lightly. I know that many here are happy to finally get snow, even though it is not my favorite kind of weather.

Yesterday it got into the 30s and melted the dusting which fell while I was in Seattle.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to post more often. I wasn't very good for the first few weeks of the year. I am trying to do better. Wish me luck......

Wisconsin Lessons

I'm not a cheesehead yet, but I have registered the car in Wisconsin. Upon my return from ALA Midwinter, I'll do the driver's license adventure. (That will probably be "bloggable.")

Lessons I have learned in Wisconsin:

• Leather soled shoes do not work well in the winter
• You can't leave your hairgel in the car. It will freeze, and it is hard to apply when frozen.
• Cheese curds are good, and not as awful as they sound. I still haven't had fried cheese curds.
  

I learned the first one painfully when I slipped on a patch of black ice while hurrying to a meeting at City Hall. I slipped, scratched my glasses (since repaired), got a gash on my forehead, and many bruises. Even my dress shoes now have at least a rubber insert. Not good for dancing.......but.

I learned the second lesson the hard way, also. However that lesson is more humorous than anything else.

Lacunae; Day 3 on the Road; Moving and photos

Well, it has been a bit. I finally posted the two post I had written about Day 2 on the road to Eau Claire. I have a photoset in Flickr with photos of the move including the first day at work (and more snow).

I spent the second night on the road with Nann Blaine Hilyard. I took a couple of photos of Chicago's skyline as I sat in rush hour traffic. I clearly need more practice at this type of photo.

The photos with the material in bins and on shelves were taken in her basement where she has an incredible set up for doing all kinds of quilting. She also has a great old card catalog cabinet which came from a library in Maine. She stores odds and ends in it. We woke up the next morning to the December 1 blizzard which hit Chicago and Milwaukee. You can see the car sitting in the driveway before we shoveled.

I headed out mid-morning, and drove through the snow. The Interstates were generally manageable. I stopped at one point, and wound up being interviewed by a Milwaukee TV station about why I was driving through the storm. Between Milwaukee and Madison, the snow ended, and eventually disappeared. I stopped at a rest area to brush off the trailer (and snapped a photo first). Next to me was a semi whose driver was from Coventry CT! We chatted briefly before heading out again.

There are photos of the sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment with my stuff inside. The closet in the bed room is huge, and will hide a great deal of my "stuff." As of today, the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are in great shape. The large living/dining area is a mess! All I have there is camping furniture (two chairs, a table, and a cot as a "couch").

The final photos are from Monday morning, December 4, my first day at work. What else but snow!

It took me more than a week to organize getting phone/DSL service to the apartment. That is one of the two major reasons for lack of posting. The other? Not much time! Every new job has a learning curve, and I have been placed where I am literally overwhelmed by just the names and faces, never mind that the whole governmental structure is different, and there are critical differences in the legal requirements for meetings, etc. That plus, when I get home at night, there is the whole cooking/cleaning part of life.

This post is being done from Connecticut....yes, I am back for the holidays. While I have a list of "homework" tasks to do, I will post more frequently for the next week, because I will have more unstructured time to do so.

Blogging on Road: Highway 2.0

So, we all know about Library 2.0, right? Well when I hit the Indiana border, I found what I am calling Highway 2.0. The picture is small, but the sign says, "Animal on Road when Flashing -- Next 1 mile." There is a test stretch of the Indiana Turnpike where they have the signs, with solar panels and motion detectors, set up over a 15 or 20 mile stretch.

As someone who has killed two deer in his life, both times with a vehicle, I can attest to the problem. This is a great solution! It alers drivers to a potential hazard and uses current technology in an effective way. How 2.0 is that!!!

Blogging on the Road: Day 2

The trip from Youngstown to Winthrop Harbor (IL) was relatively uneventful. Rain in places, and heavy traffic through Chicago. The photo shows my first major reminder that I'd left the Northeast. We not only do not have "triples" but have very few "tandems." After all, the surface roads are so often narrow that even the long singles have trouble with corners.

Blogging on the Road: Writing about Writing

I'm killing some time before hitting the road...I don't want to be too early to my next stop. I printed out Walt Crawford's latest Cites & Insights just before leaving. I guess this in one of those times where I love that Walt designs this as a ".pdf" file with all the well planned graphic design for the physical printed page.

Let me start by saying how much I admire Walt, and his clear and concise prose. I get a personal ego boost that he even knows who I am, and even reads this modest collection of random thoughts. He has even said nice things about what I have written, and I take that as a huge compliment. (It may simply be that I have "self-esteem issues" about my writing and writing ability.)

I have heard many authors be asked by audience members about how they structure their day, and manage to write. Walt answers that question for his personal style in the latest issue. (And here is the html link, if that is all you care about ... but I cannot stress strongly enough, how important it is to read ALL of Walt's writing.)

It seems to me that every writer is different. Each successful writer has struggled with and found the way to write which works for her or himself. Walt is no exception. The one common thread I would note, is that all successful writers structure their day and their writing time. They have figured out what works, and just repeat it. I don't remember ever hearing an author say, "Oh, I just sit where ever I am and sometimes use my laptop, sometimes use the desktop machine, and sometimes write long hand." They all repeat the process.

I want to thank Walt for his piece. It offers me some insight (part of the goal of the title of his publication) and perhaps a model to use as I set up a new life. Perhaps writing will become more a part of my life, and Walt's clear and lucid explanation of what works for him, will help me become a better writer.